Group calls on Buhari to approve take off of $13.5bn Zabazaba Deepwater Project

The Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change (NDIMRC), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently give approval to the $ 13.5Bn Zabazaba Deepwater Project, imploring the President to give the Zabazaba Deepwater Project to Nigerians as Christmas Gift.

The oil monitoring group made the call in an open letter to the President made available to our Correspondent.

The letter was entitled; "THE URGENT NEED FOR MR PRESIDENT TO GIVE APPROVAL TO THE $ 13. 5Bn ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT: LET ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT BE A SURPRISED CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR NIGERIANS". The letter was signed by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Stanley Mukoro.

The group wrote that;"First and foremost, we write to congratulate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari on his 75th birthday celebration and to wish him more fruitful years and wisdom to continue to pilot the affairs of the country".

"Mr President, the Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change, is a well known oil monitoring group based in the oil rich Niger Delta Region and we have been agitating for a better deal for all Nigerians", the group said.

Minister of Petroleum for state, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

According to the group;"Mr President, we are writing you this urgent letter on the need for you to do the needful now and give approval for the $13.5Bn ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT. This is an important project and your administration should not waste further time in giving approval for its take off".

"Your Excellency, the President, we want to place it on record that Agip is developing the Zabazaba field with proven reserves of 560 million barrels of oil as a standalone development in the eastern portion of the Niger Delta in water depths ranging from 1,200 to 2,400 metres. The main packages in the Zabazaba project include the construction of the Floating Production Storage Offloading(FPSO) units, subsea installations and drilling rigs", the oil monitoring group added.

It also said that;"Mr President, this Agip-operated Zabazaba project will also set a new record in local content development as the major contractors bidding for the project have submitted competitive costs and concrete plans to fabricate and integrate over 50 per cent of the topsides of the FPSO in the country.

Mr President, from our findings, Agip plans to achieve first oil in 2020 and is determined to start execution of the project in the fourth quarter of this year. We urge you to give the nod for the take off of the Project as it is too precious to Nigerians."

While lamenting that Nigerians were being sacked on a daily basis, the group held out that;"Mr President, the importance of the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT cannot be overemphasized. On a daily basis, Nigerians are thrown into the labour market with no hope of getting another job. We have lost count of how many Nigerians that have been thrown into the labour market in the last few months and the number is on the rise".

"But Mr President, the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT is capable of generating over Eight Million jobs for Nigerians and there is a great hope for those who have been thrown into the labour market and other Nigerians seeking for employment", the group posited.

Continuing,the group stated that;"The ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT is also capable of giving employment to army of repentant Militants in the Niger-Delta Region as well as repentant Boko Haram insurgents in the North and we therefore, implore Mr President to give the go ahead to the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu and Agip to carry on with this project that will further give meaning to your administration and your Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)".

The group also wrote;"We want to stress that Mr President, should make history with the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT by giving the much awaited approval to the Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu and Agip to go ahead now with this Project expected to promote your Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Let the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT be counted among the achievements of the APC before 2019. This is going to be the first time the APC led Government will have the opportunity of shining with a project like the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT and your Government should therefore let the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT be counted among the achievements of the APC before 2019. Your Government should shout it loud and clear that APC is here to create jobs for millions of Nigerians through the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT."

"Mr President, the ZABAZABA DEEPWATER PROJECT will be a good Christmas gift for Nigerians if you take the bull by the horns and do the needful now. We enjoin you not to let go this Golden opportunity", the group said.